8 Creative Ideas for Display Advertising

Many businesses report poor click-through and conversion rates when using display advertising. This happens when ads aren’t “served” to people who are actively searching for something. Instead, they’re “tacked on to” social feeds and informational sites to distract users from what they’re doing and entice them to visit a website instead. This is a challenge, but it’s not the only one. Businesses who use display advertising must also compete with others for this ad space.

Despite the unfavorable odds, you can create captivating ads that people click on. Being creative is a must yet the ads must still be enticing and effective.

Consider Your Venue

You must consider the platform on which you display your ad so you can do as Brett McHale, WordStream’s Paid Social Specialist recommends and create ads that “blend in AND stand out.” What this means is you want contextually relevant content (it blends in instead of looking like an ad) with a picture that grabs people’s attention. Make sure these are photos of real things, taken by real people. Using just this tip alone you can increase your followers by 370%.

Speak With The Target Audience

Segment your audience based on their demographics then build ads just for that demographic. By adjusting the ad, instead of using a “one size fits all” mentality, you’ll receive a better ROI.

Leverage Emotional Triggers

This is one of the most effective ways of connecting with your audience. While people respond to happiness, sadness, surprise, anger, and disgust differently, the one thing these all have in common is they incite people to act. Use this to your advantage the next time you create a display ad.

Use Comedy

The Journal of Marketing published a study in 1993 demonstrating that when businesses use humorous images and text together they’re “more likely to secure audience attention, increase memorability, overcome sales resistance and enhance message persuasiveness.” Even if you’re not super-exciting, a little creativity still works on your behalf. You can also borrow some widely-known references from culture or consider consulting with a comedian if you need to.

Make People Feel Good by Offering Discounts

Discounts make many people act. They love bargains. Scoring big discounts even makes them proud enough to follow through with buying your product or service, even when they’re undecided. This is a major reason why it’s important to include discounts in your display ads. Finding the right one isn’t always easy, but many businesses report that their click-through rates double when they offer a 50% off discount. Just make sure you’re mindful of your business offer when deciding what would work best for you here.

Choose Colors Wisely

Every detail matters when you’re creating display ads. Color is no exception to this “rule.” Make sure you consider the psychological association with colors, especially when choosing your ad’s main color. Pair your primary color with contrasting colors so your text is easy to read. Also, make sure your CTA button is very visible.

One of the other important considerations here is what the other site’s background color is. This is something you’ll especially want to consider when using display ads on social media where you know what the site’s color scheme is. For instance, Facebook’s is blue and white, so don’t use those colors in your ad. Consider using something like bright orange instead.

Use Shocking Photos

Creating photos that really stand out is difficult online today because the internet is so cluttered with images. The best way to overcome this is by using audacious images that elicit reactions. This technique known as “shockvertising” evokes strong feelings that make them more likely to engage with your ad or at least remember it. Avoid things like blood and gore or too much sex, but by being creative will go a long way here.

When in doubt, use puppies and babies which work rather well. On the other hand, maybe you need Display Retargeting. Watch for this post in the future. Maybe you should just call the experts at Results Driven Marketing, LLC. You can contact us for help. We’re happy to offer you our expertise!